The look of defeat on Nadir's face spoke volumes. He had been cut loose. With the downgrade of consulate to trade post an unstoppable fact, since Orison had officially declared the emba.s.sy as his residence, the captain's position no longer carried the same authority. By the same loophole of being a.s.signed to the post rather than to Orison that he had been using to defy the young patrician, he was demoted in importance along with it. Even Calix, who was only an acting captain of a legate, was technically his equal in rank.

Orison let the smile slip from his face and said with a trace of genuine regret, "In spite of everything, until I leave I'll still lend aid if your men have need. Dispose of the account books and hide the gold you got today. I have no knowledge or need to know what you managed to collect and who knows what logistics will decide to do... I'm not sorry for doing this but I am sorry it turned out this way. For what it's worth, you're a good captain. I wish I'd gotten to you first."

Orison addressed the other men and the ones that had come to his 'rescue' with Calix. "Captain Nadir may have some doubts about my intentions. Acting Captain Calix, how much loyalty should I expect from you and your men if I fail to keep the soldiers who stay here safe?"

Calix crisply gave a salute and said, "Absolutely none, Legate."

Orison turned to Captain Nadir and said, "There you have it, Captain. You don't even need a hostage."

Deflated but still proud, Nadir issued a casual salute near the edge of sarcastic and said, "Then don't disappoint, Legate. Why are you still running your gums at me? Get your sh*t together and go."

With the nastiness behind them, Orison focused on restoring his magic while the soldiers and staff got busy. Just a touch over an hour later, Orison had his second scroll and was starting to feel the strain on all levels. For the last hour before time to leave, much to everyone's irritation and amus.e.m.e.nt, Orison took a catnap on the driver's bench until the cart was loaded up.

After sadly watching by the sidelines as Morrel popped 300 gold worth of scrolls, Orison turned to the secretary and said, "I'm leaving you in steward Morrel's care. Make sure you let the soldiers know what they need to do to keep from getting holes poked in them when they reach New Fvaris. Failure is not an option, Madam Secretary, but rewards are."

The woman squirmed under Orison's intense stare. "I won't disappoint, Legate Cantrip."

Orison flashed her a saintly smile. "I know you won't."

With a personal conjuring of the horse, Orison was off ahead of them. Once outside the patrol perimeter, Orison let out a sharp whistle. Gan stepped out from behind a deceptively small looking hill and saddled up behind him. With a whisper of ancient elvish, they were off into a run.

Orison sighed as they maintained the break-neck speed, prompting Gan to ask, "Feeling down about having to play the bad guy? Nadir might have meant well, all in all, but he deserved it."

Orison laughed and said, "No, man. I'm just thinking about how I could have a screaming elven beauty clutching at me right now instead of you but I was afraid she'd faint or p*ss herself."

Gan went silent for a minute then suddenly held Orison tighter and started screaming faintly at his ear in a choppy falsetto.

"For the love of all that's holy, stop. If a Fvaris patrol saw that there's no telling what they'd do," Orison chuckled as he lightly rapped his knuckles on Gan's forehead.

Gan added sagely, "Care to guess how they'd react to a screaming elven 'beauty'?"

Orison replied soberly, "Good point."

As they came up to Droya and her company, Orison slowed down long enough to let them know everything was going according to plan before going full run again.

"Do you think Morrel will be able to get Rithus over the fear of being on horseback? The one time I actually got him up here, walk mode was all I could handle. Even then I thought he was going to squeeze the stuffing out of me. I might be bigger but he's stronger too." Orison asked.

Gan grumbled, "If you're that keen on finding a new running partner why not just ask Morrel?"

Orison said, "Are you kidding? He'd probably find a way to turn it into some kind of miserable training. Don't tell him I said that. He's already unhinged about how the miasma let me skip the 'discipline instilling' parts. Half the time I think he makes up self torture exercises to keep me from learning too fast."

Gan said. "If he is, I think my old instructor would probably agree with him though. The longer it takes to learn, the longer it takes to lose it, he used to say."

"Well, to keep you from making bitter beer faces about it, I'm not looking for a new running partner but there's bound to be times when you're doing other things. I need a backup choice." Orison said as he spotted a Fvaris Clan patrol.

Commanding the horse into a walk, Orison rode slowly and waited for them to instruct.

The lead of the patrol asked, "State your name and your business on this road."

Orison said, "Though I may not be that recognizable after the incident, I'm Legate Orison Cantrip. I'm here to bring news to the council and meet my brother at the emba.s.sy grounds."

Another of the patrolling guards asked, "What did you instruct was the best thing to grow in section C3?"

Orison thought back to the grid and honestly didn't remember after going over hundreds of sub-divided sections. "There are 144 main grid s.p.a.ces further divided into quarters due to uneven areas. Most of the suggestions were done on site, not by the grid. Early C column was close to the soft curve. I gave a site suggestion but overall I thought it was best to leave that s.p.a.ce free for recreation or potential future tourist accommodations if I could ever convince the Council how satisfying sucking foreigners dry of gold would be even if they hated them being here."

The guard said, "It's him, sir. He rarely says a word if it isn't a part of three or more sentences."

Orison glared at the guard and said, "Resentment."

The guard smiled and said, "Now I know it's him for sure. The only thing he likes more than drawing out his words is making other people eat theirs."

The lead patrolman pulled out a white cloth square and pressed a metal block on it then handed it to Orison. "Lift it for any other patrol to see and you'll make it to the gates without further interruption. I'd suggest removing your weapons and storing them away if you don't want to get them confiscated. A revivalist clan is on gates today."

Orison nodded to the lead patrolman then rode at a walk the rest of the way. Two more patrols and a bit of ha.s.sle at the gates and they were in with little trouble due to the earlier patrolman's help and advice. With the good time they made, it was only a little after seventh bell when he made his request to speak with the council. Judging by the hour it took before he was summoned, he either wasn't very welcomed at the moment or there was a lot going on. With the Northland group here, he desperately hoped it was the later.

Orison was trying to get a read on the five elders but even the two speakers were neutral and poker faced. "Honored venerables, I feel privileged to stand before you alive and healthy today."

Unable to help himself, the Speaker of the Right quipped, "Any day you stand before me alive is a privilege, leech."

With a raised eyebrow, Orison asked, "Why a leech?"

The Speaker sneered out, "Disgusting but useful."

"That was dangerously close to a compliment, I think. Thank you, honored elder." Orison said.

Elder Fvaris, now the younger sister, said, "This isn't a good time for social niceties, though ever a part of these proceedings as they tend to be. We've read your missive only a little over an hour ago. What prompts this sudden decision and how does it benefit ALL of New Fvaris as it's benefit to the Speaker of the Right's clan is obvious."

Orison feigned confusion as he said, "How is being able to collect taxes not something that benefits all of New Fvaris?"

Elder Fvaris sighed and said, "These taxes are something only the Speaker of the Right's clan will get, a.s.suming they even want them."

Orison pretended enlightenment. "Oh, so when the honored elder hurriedly clears off the structures and sends them packing, when they rebuild on a Progressive clan's coastal property will only they then benefit? If so, why would he be so quick? Wouldn't his clan be able to enjoy not only wealth but also first pick of new goods?"

The Speaker of the Right smiled evilly while the Speaker of the Left frowned at Orison.

"Which leaves me to ask again, what is the benefit for all of New Fvaris?" Elder Fvaris asked.

Orison said thoughtfully, "The way benefits are structured, aside from having access to goods at all, never. What I don't understand is why this council of five wise venerables can't agree to a policy that would determine that no matter who hosts the trade dock, a standardized tax would belong to the council treasury while a smaller portion would belong to the one who sacrificed land s.p.a.ce. Isn't the benefit of having first pick of new goods and direct access to every arriving and departing merchant enough to want the trade post on their land?"

Orison patiently tolerated a diatribe of tradition and the reasoning behind having the two party system with a neutral arbitrator.

Orison waited until he was addressed to speak and ignored the question that granted it to say, "There is no influx of wealth, of any kind, on the entire island of Obsidian. People have need of those goods and they can look forward to export in another year to start earning back what they spent but merchant taxes are a way to earn some money back right now. There is no reason not to share that, equally, so there is no fighting and certain issues can have some relief and room for error... Right now, during the time you need it the most.

"I can say with certainty that sweeping away the post, over taxing or generally making things overly inconvenient will bring import to a screeching halt. It doesn't matter who you're dealing with. The post is already there. Merchants come and go from it daily. If the soldiers aren't threatened in any way, they'll toe the line with the local land owner, no problem."

Orison laid out empire standards for taxation and foreign cooperation with local authorities among other things the council would have already known if they had been curious at any point. All Orison was personally invested in was maintaining safety and peace for the emba.s.sy and trade post until he was gone. It galled him to no end that to do that he'd have to start the framework that would only show mutual prosperity to Centerland and Obsidian island in a year, becoming someone else's merit. Not getting credit for an idea that didn't even belong to him wasn't a problem but working so hard for another patrician to get rich off of, p.i.s.sed him off enough that even the council could tell.

Elder Fvaris asked, "Why do you seem so reticent to tell us these things? Have we pressured you to reveal secrets you would have rather kept?"

Orison said, "Not at all, honored venerable. I'm agitated that whatever slug of a patrician they send to sit in the emba.s.sy a little after this time next year is going to be showered in praise for all the hard a** work I've done and am going to be doing until I leave."

"That's a.s.suming we believe you and follow your advice, legate. Which at this moment, doesn't seem as likely as you a.s.sume." Elder Fvaris said blandly.

Orison sighed, "Because it's going to take days to draw up the step by step you can look at and know it will work because everything you know about trade and commerce will line up with it perfectly. Thus my complaint of hard work. Even I don't consider long talks and bickering more than a waste of time."

The Speaker of the Left said, "So what you're actually asking is that we keep the status quo for the few days you need to do your 'hard work'?"

Orison sighed and said, "Yes. Because as much as I'd like to skin my previous captain myself, I made a promise to do all I can to keep them safe."

The Dowager stepped out of the shadows and said, "That won't be necessary... Speaker of the Right, your land and the land of the Speaker of the Left framing New Fvaris are being exchanged. Neither of your clan's main houses are even on Obsidian. Your ancestors have brokered this deal. It is done. Pact's share of taxes are ten and the land holder five percent. The city of New Fvaris is also five for a total of twenty. The remaining five percent will be awarded to the post so as to keep Centerland from pus.h.i.+ng a legate into our faces to incessantly bicker and whine.

"Orison, it was a bold move on your behalf to push forward events that were to take place after you left. I hope you're not going to waste MY time having come unprepared to answer my questions about the ruin in the bay. That will make things go in an unpleasant direction for you."

Orison said, "No, I came prepared. I also have other things to share I hope you already know about. I distinctly hate being the bearer of bad news."